OBASI LORE DUMP: THE PHANTOMS & HER ROLE AS A CRIME LORD
recently updated some of obasi’s lore, this bit of information i’m sharing here is predominantly about the origin of the phantoms and how obasi feels about her work. this information is very important and relevant to both her backstory, current story, and narrative in the book.
finally getting back into sharing OC lore, especially about my book, “blade in the city” and characters within it!
please feel free to ask questions if you’re curious about it!
Who are the Phantoms? What is their role and history within Haderia City?
CW: Mentions of criminal activity such as sex trafficking, drug dealing, and trade of artillery.
Haderia is a small city-state that was established about a century before Obasi was born. in short, Haderia was founded soon after a civil war between the unified and an activist group nicknamed the “Phantoms”. This group later claimed this nickname as an official appellation. The Phantoms maintained the economic and physical state of the city after the Unified abandoned it. Through connections with non-Unified suppliers beyond Haderia, they provided resources and stability for the inhabitants of the city.
The Phantoms were peacekeepers and protectors first and foremost; they oversaw a large portion of the economic power within Haderia but ultimately left political power with that of the communities that formed within the city. This did include drug and weapon trade, though the introduction of such things was from smaller groups and the Phantoms initially sought to manage some form of stability and safety to this trade. This was controversial, as the communities often thrived on the trades that occurred between narcotics and other goods.
It should be noted that the Phantoms have historically penalized and directly dismantled sexual trafficking rings and do NOT partake in this aspect of the criminal world. Obasi, being a victim of CSA and exposure/previously forced into to sex trafficking herself, is responsible for disbanding the most notorious sex trafficking rings in the city and because of Obasi's efforts in trying to craft a safe and consensual environment for adult sex workers, sex trafficking is practically nonexistent within the city now. Obasi has done her best to further a safe environment for sex workers that are consenting adults. She still must deal with rogue gangs that partake in trafficking, but these are often the individuals that meet an unruly demise from the Phantoms.
Obasi and Noctis had adopted Mitsue after her biological mother, a trafficked chimp animan, had died from birth and there were no willing foster families.
By definition, the Phantoms operate as a criminal syndicate because their work directly opposes that of the Unified. They do not necessarily reflect the typical perception of what a criminal syndicate would be. That is, until the rule of Lucian Adebowale, Obasi’s great-great grandfather and a power-hungry one. He saw faults in this community-built system that preceded him, he strived to take full power over Haderia’s economic and political systems out of fear that the Unified would reclaim the city if they did not do it first.
Thus, the reputation of the Phantoms was tarnished. No longer were they the mediators that many Haderians trusted. They had slowly begun to shift into a more powerful and controlling force, this eventually led to the development of the Azure, a group that operated individually from the Phantoms eye. This ruined reputation continued for the next three generations, passed on to Björn (Obasi’s great grandfather), to Kabili (Obasi’s grandfather) and then to Dubaku (Obasi’s father).
Obasi’s Reign as the King of Haderia: How does she feel about her work?
Obasi never wanted to be a crime lord. She never held a desire to follow in her father’s footsteps and was instead groomed into this position by him. He raised her like a son, because he expected her to be the “man” that would carry on their family’s legacy. Obasi had dreams of becoming a singer, but she swiftly abandoned them upon realizing that her life was ultimately never her own, that she would carry the sins of her family to the grave.
Obasi is a gentle soul, she does not necessarily enjoy her position of power and is completely aware of her influence over the city, how much power she truly has, and how that impacts others. It terrifies her, and she’ll never admit it. But she knows that even if she cannot pursue her true passions, she can pursue one thing: service for her city. To bring back the former glory of the Phantoms and repair what her family had done to ruin their reputation and do better than her father ever had.
Obasi instead shifted her focus from maintaining power to instead learning what she could do to strengthen communities within Haderia and how the Phantoms could provide both protectors and mediators once again. Under Obasi’s rule, new botanical gardens opened around Haderia (Haderia runs off plant power! Got a whole power system planned out for it…), there were more small businesses that opened, and more work opportunities were given to the animans of Haderia. All this operates separately from the rule of the Unified. Obasi, despite being a crime lord (her work directly goes against the tyrannical regime of the Unified), Obasi is a protective figure that prioritizes the wellbeing of the communities within Haderia and she will do the best she can to forge alliances with them and provide for them.
The Phantoms, thanks to Obasi’s non-violent approach to conflict, had forged an alliance with the Azure, a previously rival gang, as well. Sunila despises Obasi, she envies her ability to rule with such vigilance, but even she knows this alliance is for the greater good. That is until the event of the book kicks off…
Through all this, Obasi does not remain unburdened by her family’s reputation. She feels complacent in their abuse, she feels as if, despite all the good she’s done, that she is considerably worse than Dubaku because she still chose to follow in his footsteps as his heir. Obasi wonders if she is truly evil and power-hungry like Lucian was. She doubts herself more than she’ll admit.
Obasi is not a violent animan. She is, again, gentle and kind-hearted. She’s deeply disturbed by blood and violence, she will do anything she possibly can to talk and negotiate if that means nobody gets hurt, and if violence is needed, she will hesitate and instead allow a Phantom she trusts to handle the situation. All in all, Obasi puts on a front when she must operate as a crime lord, but beneath this front is a soft, tired animan that would do anything to choose a different path than the one she’s on. But it’s too late, she cannot change now.
Though, she still has a chance to make peace and make her life her own. This is what is explored in the book.
